July 15, 2013

These look intricate, but they are really very easy just a bit time consuming. I used Julep Parker, Alma, & Annie.

What you'll need: 3 fairly opaque polishes (no thin formulas
for this technique), a flat brush, & a good top coat (I like Essie
Good To Go)

Paint all your nails with one coat of the lightest polish color. Don't worry if it's streaky.

Add chevrons in your second color to all nails. I just used the polish brushes. You can be very messy & imprecise.

Add chevrons in the third color to all nails. Remember your chevrons don't need to be straight and perfect!

Next put a drop or two of polish on your palette (I just use
the middle of a nail wheel). Dip a flat brush in the polish & start
creating your ikat lines. I recommend doing just two nails at a time at
this point.

Repeat step 5 with the other polishes, 2 nails at a time.

It's going to look kind of terrible until you add the topcoat. Just
go for it! Check the overall shape of your chevrons at this point. You
can easily go back and add a few lines to straighten them up if needed.
Add a coat of topcoat before until continuing on to the rest of your nails

Beautiful & easy enough to do on both hands!
Thanks for reading & let me know if you try this out. I'd be happy
to post them on my blog if a few of you lovely ladies give it a go.
April

March 25, 2012

Finally the tutorial for my Ikat Chevron nails from last week. These look intricate, but they are really very easy just a bit time consuming.

What you'll need: 2 or 3 fairly opaque polishes (no thin formulas for this technique), a flat brush, & a good top coat (I like Essie Good To Go)

Paint all your nails with one coat of the lightest polish color (Mint). Don't worry if it's streaky.

Add chevrons in your second color (Green) to all nails. I just used the polish brushes. You can be very messy & imprecise.

Add chevrons in the third color (Orange) to all nails.

Remember your chevrons don't need to be straight and perfect!

Next put a drop or two of green polish on your palette (I just use the middle of a nail wheel). Dip a flat brush in the polish & start creating your ikat lines. I recommend doing just two nails at a time at this point.

Repeat step 5 with the orange & mint polishes, 2 nails at a time.

It's going to look kind of terrible until you add the topcoat. Just go for it! Check the overall shape of your chevrons at this point. You can easily go back and add a few lines to straighten them up if needed. (You can see I added a line at the apex of my orange chevron

Add a coat of topcoat before until continuing on to the rest of your nails. Beautiful, easy & foolproof!

Thanks for reading & let me know if you try this out. I'd be happy to post them on my blog if a few of you lovely ladies give it a go.
April